85 replies to this topic

[SteveB69]

Am I being blind? How much & where to order? (I'll worry about the tech details later)!!!

[MikePinball]

Am I being blind? How much & where to order? (I'll worry about the tech details later)!!!

I don't have a web shop. See append #37 in this thread for my email address and latest pricing ($225) not including shipping. If you want to pre-order, go ahead and email me.

[SteveB69]

OK I'm sold, I'll pre-order in the next day or two.

 

What is the preffered plunger to use with this, I have an old plunger but would need to buy a new tube / wiring etc.

[Outhere]

Something like this would work

https://www.vpforums...topic=42902&hl=

https://www.vpforums...e=2#entry413506

[SteveB69]

Thanks, but none of those links point to any kits I can buy ala when I got my first virtua pin plunger it all came with everything?

[rickh]

Steve, I could sell you one of the ones I build, for about ~$30 USD +shipping.   

[SteveB69]

Steve, I could sell you one of the ones I build, for about ~$30 USD +shipping.   

Thanks for the offer but I have MikePinball doing me some builds now.

[MikePinball]

This is a good bargain. If those connectors are Phoenix, they command over $8 a piece(pair), the MOSFETS adds at least another $50 and the KMZ25 is ~$20.  I'm glad to see someone offering an affordable solution.

This was one of your previous comments. The connectors are Phoenix or similar and are quite nice i.e. they are sturdy and nicely lock into each other.

 

Ok I will bite. What exactly are offering for just $30? Is it just the power board? Or main board without a KL25Z?

 

The Pinscape All-in-One has everything including the "chime" board functionality. As you say it is a bargain over doing it yourself.

[rickh]

Hi Mike,

 

No, I was only offering a plunger kit which consist of a plunger, 3d printed enclosure, and linear pot.  I do have a Pinscape solution, but it is much smaller in scope to your substantial offerings. 

 

Regards,

 

Rick 

 

 

 

 

This is a good bargain. If those connectors are Phoenix, they command over $8 a piece(pair), the MOSFETS adds at least another $50 and the KMZ25 is ~$20.  I'm glad to see someone offering an affordable solution.

This was one of your previous comments. The connectors are Phoenix or similar and are quite nice i.e. they are sturdy and nicely lock into each other.

 

Ok I will bite. What exactly are offering for just $30? Is it just the power board? Or main board without a KL25Z?

 

The Pinscape All-in-One has everything including the "chime" board functionality. As you say it is a bargain over doing it yourself.

 

[dondi]

Thanks, but none of those links point to any kits I can buy ala when I got my first virtua pin plunger it all came with everything?

Did you check out Zeb's Plunger? Maybe Mike and/or MJR can verify if this is friendly with the PinScape AIO. I would assume it is.

[MikePinball]

 

Thanks, but none of those links point to any kits I can buy ala when I got my first virtua pin plunger it all came with everything?

Did you check out Zeb's Plunger? Maybe Mike and/or MJR can verify if this is friendly with the PinScape AIO. I would assume it is.

 

 

No it is not compatible. The Zebs and VirtuaPin plunger products are stand-alone solutions that have a separate controller and USB connection into your PC.

 

For Pinscape, you only connect the sensor (potentiometer or other) into the Pinscape and it does the rest.

[mjr]

 

 

Thanks, but none of those links point to any kits I can buy ala when I got my first virtua pin plunger it all came with everything?

Did you check out Zeb's Plunger? Maybe Mike and/or MJR can verify if this is friendly with the PinScape AIO. I would assume it is.

 

 

No it is not compatible. The Zebs and VirtuaPin plunger products are stand-alone solutions that have a separate controller and USB connection into your PC.

 

For Pinscape, you only connect the sensor (potentiometer or other) into the Pinscape and it does the rest.

 

One addition to that - if you *already* have a Zeb's plunger, and you want to re-purpose it for Pinscape use, that should be possible, as his plungers have been using a 10K potentiometer for a few years.  That should be fully compatible.  (There was a much older type based on a magnetic quadrature sensor that's not compatible.  It should be obvious looking at your plunger whether it uses a pot or a magnet strip and a little black IC chip.)  However, it gets even more complicated!  I've talked to a couple of people who had early versions of the Zeb's 10K pot that used an "audio taper" pot, and while that'll kind of work, it doesn't work well.  "Audio taper" means it has a logarithmic rather than linear resistance curve, so it gives really weird non-linear results when you use it as a plunger.  So if you have an older Zeb's pot plunger, you can try it, but if it doesn't behave linearly then you might need to replace the pot anyway.

 

But as Mike says, it's not good value for the money to actually go out and buy a Zeb's plunger with the intention of using it with Pinscape, as it would be a huge waste to throw away his $99 controller for a $6 pot that you can pick up separately from Mouser or Amazon.

[Ratdz]

 

Hi Mike,

 

No, I was only offering a plunger kit which consist of a plunger, 3d printed enclosure, and linear pot.  I do have a Pinscape solution, but it is much smaller in scope to your substantial offerings. 

 

Regards,

 

Rick 

 

 

I would be interested in this plunger kit. Will it work with the pinscape kit offered by Mike?

PM me details if you don't mind. 

 

 

 

 

[MikePinball]

My second batch of Pinscape AIO boards are now available at $225 not including shipping. Here is the list of minor enhancements for this new board:

• Copper is now twice as thick to easily handle high current real Pinball solenoids. The maximum continuous current is now 8A (was 4A) which is more than you should ever need. Short duration pulsed currents can be even higher providing there is not too much heating of the PCB. See discussion in append 21 in this thread.
• Improved board layout for better output grouping and better manufacturability.

The user guide has also been updated with the latest board layout. Below is a picture of the latest board. It shows the pluggable headers with one of them unplugged.

 

 

Edit: Added user guide link and clarified maximum allowable current.

Edited by MikePinball, 30 October 2019 - 01:59 AM.

[mitchell0987]

Great work Mike, wish this was available 9 months ago when i bought the pre built pinscape kit from Dominik at GGS, would have saved me alot of time due to his horrible customer service. The execution looks much easier using the phoenix connectors rather than the Dupont connectors which are time consuming to terminate! Hopefully if this goes well you can keep up with demand or at least be honest about lead times, will fill a gap in the community!

 

-Mitch

[MikePinball]

Great work Mike, wish this was available 9 months ago when i bought the pre built pinscape kit from Dominik at GGS, would have saved me alot of time due to his horrible customer service. The execution looks much easier using the phoenix connectors rather than the Dupont connectors which are time consuming to terminate! Hopefully if this goes well you can keep up with demand or at least be honest about lead times, will fill a gap in the community!

 

-Mitch

Mitch - thanks for the kudos.

 

I am shipping out the next or even same day. My second order of 20 has come in. I have sold and shipped 4 and have another 7 ready go to. As I get lower on stock I will finish the remaining 9. My objective is to always have at least 5 in stock ready to go.

[MikePinball]

Great work Mike, wish this was available 9 months ago when i bought the pre built pinscape kit from Dominik at GGS, would have saved me alot of time due to his horrible customer service. 

 

Your comment is a timely reminder. In case it hasn't been obvious to people, my primary motivation for creating the Pinscape AIO board was a direct result of problems like this and to provide a fully tested and reliable Pinscape solution to the Virtual Pinball community.

 

Last November (2018) I created my Mikrocontroller cabinet that had a KL25Z and my own Pinscape Output board with fuses. Then in March of this year I created my own Pinscape main board to hold the KL25Z and provide other functionality. I also added a second output board for more outputs. So you see I didn't need the Pinscape AIO for own use.

 

In May this year I was in communication with a community user who had waited a long time for the GGS boards and they didn't work when they finally arrived. They sent them to me and I had to fix them. One of the opto-isolators for the flashers was soldered in backwards and both TLC5940's on the output board were soldered in backwards. I fixed these boards with socketed chips and they are now in use in a working cabinet. You will find other problem reports like this elsewhere in this forum.

 

These frankly terrible experiences prompted the creation of the Pinscape AIO board. Everything is on a single board because it both more cost effective and more convenient. The boards are manufactured and assembled in China using parts from Mouser. While this is expensive, I do not have the time to solder everything myself. The final assembly and testing is done by me. 

 

I have had several offers to sell this board on third-party Pinball sites. But they require a margin which would ultimately increase the price for everyone. I have tried to keep the price as low as I can so that everyone can benefit. As has been explained elsewhere just buying all of the parts and boards yourself is almost as expensive as simply buying a Pinscape AIO outright. I ship world-wide although it takes a longer and is a little more expensive for Europe, Asia, and Australia. 

[DarthTimmy]

I bought a Pinscape AIO board from Mike. When he got the newest batch in, he emailed me directly saying they are in, gave me a tracking number and said he will ship it out in the morning. It has been a fantastic experience for me. I would also say that I'm not a electrical hobbyist and really had a difficult time figuring out which board to buy. Until I found this thread and what Mike has done is just super awesome for everyone especially beginners like myself. Once I complete all the wiring in my cab, I will write up an article in hopes to solve some more questions that non electrical savvy people may have.

If your on the fence about this board, I can say it's well laid out, all the connections are labeled on the board itself, and you don't have to crimp or solder any cables to connect to this board. I can tell this was well thought out.

Thanks again Mike!

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

[mitchell0987]

 

Great work Mike, wish this was available 9 months ago when i bought the pre built pinscape kit from Dominik at GGS, would have saved me alot of time due to his horrible customer service. The execution looks much easier using the phoenix connectors rather than the Dupont connectors which are time consuming to terminate! Hopefully if this goes well you can keep up with demand or at least be honest about lead times, will fill a gap in the community!

 

-Mitch

Mitch - thanks for the kudos.

 

I am shipping out the next or even same day. My second order of 20 has come in. I have sold and shipped 4 and have another 7 ready go to. As I get lower on stock I will finish the remaining 9. My objective is to always have at least 5 in stock ready to go.

 

 

Hi Mike, that's fantastic, as you can imagine when you are mid way through a project and have to wait 2-4 months for parts it kind of deflates you a bit and for me at least caused me to loose motivation on the project. I have only in the last week or so got the motivation back to complete the project, I haven't tested my expansion boards set yet so fingers crossed there is no backwards components

 

Thankyou for your thought through solution to this issue as Pinscape is a fantastic platform but previously sourcing pre-built solutions was difficult or a bad experience.

 

-Mitch

[MikePinball]

If you look in my signature you will see that I currently don't have any Pinscape AIOs in stock. The first 11 that I completed from the order of 20 have been sold and I am waiting for one more part to complete the other 9. If you don't want to read the rest of this append, the net net is that I will have more in stock on Wednesday and can send out some out on Thursday (just in time for your Christmas project). Once my stock gets down to 5, I will be re-ordering pre-built circuit boards from China (which takes a month).

 

Before deciding to go ahead to provide these pre-built Pinscape AIOs to the Virtual Pinball community, I thought about the problems I might encounter. And this isn't my first rodeo on building and supplying custom circuit boards to a community. Here is my original list where the number of asterisks (*) indicates the size of the problem:

**** Boards would not sell and I would be left with unsold investment

**   Getting parts and inventory management

**   Testing

**** Taking up too much of my personal time

*    Writing documentation

**** Pricing

**   Promotion and marketing

***  Shipping and import/export problems

 

And here is my experience so far with reality marked in red:

*    Boards would not sell and I would be left with unsold investment

*****Getting parts and inventory management

*    Testing

**   Taking up too much of my personal time

*    Writing documentation

**** Pricing

**   Promotion and marketing

***  Shipping and import/export problems

 

What does this tell you? Well I have been quite successful in building, testing, and selling this boards to happy customers and this hasn't turned into a drudgery and chore for me. That is was my intention and I happy for the community. I think getting pre-built boards from China has helped a lot with this effort even though the sunk costs (i.e. risk) are higher.

 

But on the downside, inventory management has been a real challenge trying to get to "just in time" and cost-effective parts. Delivery times from some Chinese companies has not been reliable. In fact I had to send an order to a US parts company for a part (which was more expensive) because I couldn't wait any longer. I will swallow this cost on the remaining 9 to keep the price at $225 but I will probably have to raise my prices for the next batch

 

The other hard aspect of this project has been and continues to be pricing. I have wanted to keep costs as low as possible so that the Pinscape AIO both sells and is cost-effective for customers. I could easily rate the value of this board at $350 given the functionality and ease of use but I didn't do that. My "CEO" still thinks I am under-valuing myself and my product and she is probably right.

 

Anyone with a small business can probably very easily testify to similar issues. I didn't write this for sympathy or anything like that but just so you can understand what goes on "behind the scenes".

Edited by MikePinball, 07 December 2019 - 08:11 AM.